St. Louis pizza covers more ground than one crust style. This guide runs from Provel-and-cracker-crust rooms to the calzone counters and neighborhood pubs that never left the corner they started on, and judges each on what actually comes out of the oven.
№ 01
Sauce on the Side
$$
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Downtown, a few blocks off the riverfront, Sauce on the Side works the calzone side of St. Louis pizza rather than the Provel-and-cracker-crust lane. The Five-O Calzone is the order regulars point newcomers toward, a stuffed, sealed take built for a fast counter and a short wait. It fits the tourist and lunch-break crowd near the Arch without leaning on the usual party-cut template.
What to orderFive-O Calzone, Pizza, Calzone
№ 02
Katie's Pizza & Pasta – Rock Hill
$$
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Katie's in Rock Hill runs a patio built for a full sit-down meal, not a grab-and-go slice. The kitchen turns out both a seasonal pizza list and pasta, and the two menus rotate enough that a return visit rarely repeats. It reads as a group and family room first, with covered outdoor seating doing real work on a Sunday night.
What to orderpizza, pasta, seasonal offerings
The Hill $$
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On the Hill, Favazza's leans on the Italian-American dining room model more than a pizza counter, with ravioli, lasagna, and osso buco carrying the menu alongside the pies. Portions run family-style, and the patio and house-like interior make it a default choice for work parties and group dinners rather than a quick stop.
What to orderRavioli, Lasagna, Osso Buco
№ 04
Tiny Chef
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Tiny Chef pairs pizza with a menu that crosses into Korean flavor without apology, built around a crunch wrap loaded with house kimchi and black beans and a japchae noodle dish that draws its own following. It is a counter for eaters who want their pizza order sitting next to something unexpected, not a straight red-sauce room.
What to orderpizza, crunch wrap, japchae
№ 05
Cicis Pizza
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Cicis runs the buffet model: a rotating line of pies, a Mac and Cheese Pizza that has its own fan base, and a salad bar, all priced for a family outing rather than a sit-down order. It rewards showing up hungry and skips the tablecloth entirely. Consistency across visits varies, but the value case holds.
What to orderPizza, Mac and Cheese Pizza, Salad Bar
№ 06
Bel Air Social
$$
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Bel Air Social sits next to the Indigo Hotel and splits its identity between a happy hour bar and a pizza-and-crepes kitchen. Classic cocktails and a short beer and wine list anchor the room, and the pizza reads as a fast, hot option for anyone passing through rather than the main event. It works equally well for a nosh or a full stop.
What to orderPizza, Crepes, Classic Cocktails
№ 07
Felix's Pizza Pub
$$
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Felix's Pizza Pub built a following on a rotating weekly pizza menu, the kind of program that turns regulars into repeat customers who track the specials. The Mushroom Artichoke Ricotta and Margherita hold down the standing lineup while the weekly pie changes the calculation. The room stays family-friendly with comfortable seating and a low-key, photo-lined interior.
What to orderPepperoni Pizza, Mushroom Artichoke Ricotta Pizza, Margherita Pizza
№ 08
Uncle Leo's Pizza
$$
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Uncle Leo's runs as a small, family-owned pizza and Italian counter built for group orders and delivery as much as dine-in. The ravioli, wings, and pizza combo comes up often as a Sunday special, and the pizza holds its own against outside comparisons from transplants who grew up on other regional styles. It reads as a neighborhood standby more than a destination.
What to orderpizza, ravioli, wings
№ 09
Ninth Street Deli @ Howard's
$$
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Inside Howard's, Ninth Street Deli runs a sandwich counter that measures up against any serious deli town, and the pastrami on rye and half-smoke carry that reputation. The Mediterranean chicken wrap, with well-seasoned fries on the side, has become its own draw. Counter service keeps the pace quick, built for a lunch crowd that knows exactly what it wants.
What to orderMediterranean chicken wrap, half-smoke, pastrami on rye
№ 10
JJ Twig's Pizza & Pub
$$
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JJ Twig's has held its neighborhood pizza-and-pub lane for years on a thin crust that stays light and crispy rather than doughy, a distinction regulars bring up unprompted. Wings and salad round out the order. The room skews casual and group-friendly, the kind of place that sponsors a school fundraiser and still gets the pizza order right that same week.
What to orderthin crust pizza, salad, wings
№ 11
Mike Duffy's Pub & Grill Richmond Heights
$$
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In Richmond Heights, Mike Duffy's runs as a sports bar first, pizza and wings second, the kind of room built for a drink before a movie or a game on the screens. The bar food holds up on repeat visits, and the pizza gets specific mention as worth circling back to. Service reads friendlier and more consistent than the St. Louis sports-bar standard.
What to orderpizza, wings, burgers
№ 12
Vangel's Restaurant & Bar
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Vangel's draws a steady base of regulars for a menu built around Chicken Piccata and Salmon Piccata rather than pizza itself, with a Manhattan as the standing bar order. Service gets flagged for attentiveness and handling allergies carefully. The food lands as reliable rather than remarkable, the kind of steady dinner spot that earns loyalty on consistency, not surprise.
What to orderChicken Piccata, Salmon Piccata, Manhattan
Frequently asked
What is the best pizza near me in the St. Louis area?
It depends which side of the map is closest. The Hill and downtown cover the city core, Rock Hill and Richmond Heights sit in St. Louis County, and this guide spans both so the nearest strong option is usually a short drive either way. Every entry here is ranked by its Insider Score, a measure built from the review record, and no restaurant pays to be listed.
Does this guide only cover St. Louis-style pizza with Provel cheese?
No. A few rooms here run the cracker-thin, Provel-topped, party-cut style St. Louis is known for, but the list also covers calzone counters, thin-crust pub pies, and kitchens that put pizza next to an entirely different menu. Pizza style is noted for each entry so it is clear what is on offer.
How is the Insider Score calculated for these restaurants?
The Insider Score comes from the volume and substance of the public review record for each restaurant, not from any payment or advertising relationship. No restaurant on this list, or on this site, pays for placement or for a higher ranking.
Are these all pizza restaurants, or does the guide include pubs and bars too?
Both. Several entries are dedicated pizza kitchens, but a few are pubs, sports bars, and a deli where pizza sits alongside a wider menu. Each entry is honest about what kind of room it is and what to actually order there.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Nico Marchetti
Staff Writer · Top of St. Louis
The Hill and Heritage Editor. Third-generation Hill family who grew up bagging hot salami on Saturday shifts. Covers the red-sauce canon, St. Louis-style pizza, and the kitchens of Cherokee Street, South Grand, and the Olive Boulevard corridor. His standard: the regulars would notice.
